A Story of Trainers and Kings
by TheRoseTrainer
Summary: A young trainer and noble battles with his Pokemon to fulfill his ambitions to be king of the Serentia Islands.
1. Chapter 1

In the seas south of Hoenn lies an archipelago called the Serentia Islands. A chain made up of several unique islands, the Serentia Islands function as a separate region with it's own government and Pokémon league, despite its proximity to Hoenn. Serentia is a monarchy, though it was a modern nation through and through, but it still kept many of its cultural traditions. However, in truth, the king or queen is a figurehead with a set of rules that restrict his or her powers, imposed upon them by the Council of Nobility, a group of nobles that rule Serentia by hereditary right. These nobles govern the region, and many of them are also executives within the Pokémon League. This is evident by the fact that the annual Pokémon League tournament is recognized as a national holiday and government hosted. In fact, the government has set aside an entire island for the Pokémon League to use each year, an island called Grandrise Island.

Pokémon battles also play a large role in Serentian culture. Traditionally, disputes in the islands were always solved with Pokémon battles, and this method was particularly common amongst nobility. So, it came as little surprise that when the last king, King Frederick Graywood IV, died without an heir, the Council announced succession would be decided with a Pokémon battle. But, what did shock the nation was that the new monarch would be this year's Pokémon League champion. What's more is that succession would be open to everyone, not just the nobility. Now, with a kingdom on the line, as well as a championship, the interest surrounding the League was more intense than ever. With the announcement coming a month before the start of the League season, the reaction was fierce. Trainer registration jumped by the thousands. Hundreds of foreigners rushed into the islands, trying to make a claim to the throne. The whole region took on a festival atmosphere, with every royal hopeful burning with desire to sit the throne.

One of the ambitious was named André Roseland, scion of the noble family Roseland. At seventeen years of age, André was a lord in all but name. He sat in his father's seat, governed the family's lands, and spoke for his father on the rare occasion the Roseland family was expected at court. The only thing keeping André from taking his father's place as Lord Roseland was the fact that André's father was still alive, though it was painfully obvious he wouldn't be for much longer.

Despite the Roselands being a fairly wealthy family, they were not well respected. The Roselands rose to nobility abruptly and from nothing, after an ancestor discovered the gold mines on their ancestral home of Redpetal Island. For this, the old families see the Roselands as upstarts risen to power by money, rather than blood. And André despised that. Money couldn't buy the respect of the other families. But he knew what could: a show of strength. A traditional Pokémon battle. And thus, he formulated his plan. Why shouldn't he be king? If he couldn't buy respect, at least he could win it. And now he had his chance. The only problem being, he had never battled before, much less raised a Pokémon. His mother had always been protective of him and his younger siblings. She saw Pokémon as dangerous to her precious children. But, André wouldn't let that hold him back. He had contacted Professor Kale, a famed researcher from mainland Hoenn to fly out to Serentia and drill him on the basics of Pokémon, and eventually send him on his merry way to become champion and king. Kale's plane was due any moment...


	2. Chapter 2

Kale breathed in the fresh ocean air and smiled. It reminded him of his childhood in Dewford Town, a small island town in Hoenn. The Roseland's ancestral island was not unlike his hometown, and, from his seat on one of their balconies, he found that he couldn't tear his eyes from the surrounding landscape as he waited for the young André. It was a beautiful sight, truly like something out of a movie. Silky smooth sands filled the beaches, turning a deep brown when it was covered by the crystal blue waters that came ashore in gentle waves. The cries of Wingull filled the air and as he looked out across the sea, he saw the occasional water Pokémon jump from below the surface. He didn't want to leave, it was so idyllic..

And, he wouldn't have to leave, provided his audience with the Roseland boy went smoothly. The Roseland's had contacted him one evening as he was relaxing in his small Dewford-based lab. They needed a new Pokémon expert on staff, he was told, and they could pay well. Now, being a Pokémon researcher doesn't exactly pay well, so he jumped at the chance to improve his fortunes. He had even picked the perfect Pokémon to give the Roseland boy as a partner. He was quite proud of himself for his pick, and thought it was quite a clever choice. So long as young master Roseland could appreciate the symbolism, Kale thought he'd chosen well.

The sliding door to the house glided aside and in stepped a slim boy who could only be André Roseland. He wasn't very tall for his age, maybe five feet and seven inches, but he carried himself like he was the tallest man in the world. He looked every part the young noble, from his brilliant red-blond hair that fell to his shoulder, to his tanned, native islander skin. He wore sunglasses in the neck of his spotless white t-shirt, and had his hands stuck firmly in the pockets of his brown khaki shorts. He stood across from Kale before sitting down and extended his hand. Kale quickly moved to shake it and fiercely pumped his own hand up and down. The boy raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and sat down. He folded his hands in front of him and set them on the table. Kale mirrored this and did the same with his own hands, but quickly changed his mind and removed his hands from the table.

They sat like this in silence for a few moments. Kale wanted to speak, but he didn't think it'd be proper, given the culture difference between Serentia and Hoenn. Finally, André spoke: "You must be Professor Kale. Nice to meet you. I'm André Roseland, of the House Roseland, heir to Redpetal Island, and vassal to the throne of Serentia, though I hope to sit that throne soon." He said this all with an easy smile full of confidence, and Kale found himself liking the boy immediately. Kale nodded and went to speak, but André cut him off by saying, "I guess you know why you're here." Kale nodded again, and went to speak again, but he was cut off once again. André smiled excitedly and said, "What you got for me?"

Kale quickly fumbled for the bag he had left at his feet and pulled it up and sat it on the table. He opened it and fished around inside until he had pulled out both a Pokédex and a few Pokéballs, one of which was marked by a small flower. He held them in front him and presented them to André, who took them and motioned for Kale to explain., "The red device you're holding there is called a Pokédex. It's the newest model and contains the latest and up to date information on all the known Pokémon species in the world. Simply point and press that central button to identify and receive information on any Pokémon you point the Pokédex at," he said," and that ball-shaped object is a-", but he was stopped when André held up his hand and said, "I know what a Pokéball is, professor." Kale nodded, but said, "You'll find that the one marked with a flower already contains a Pokémon." André's face lit up and he quickly, almost greedily, made for the flower-inscribed ball. He pressed the center button and held the ball in front of him and opened it. A red flash of light through from the ball and took the shape of a tiny, green Pokémon in front of them. The small Pokémon let out an energetic cry and shouted "Bud-budew!" André looked confused and held the Pokédex in front of him and used it as Kale had explained moments before. A female voice with synthetic tones sounded from it and said, "Budew, the Bud Pokémon. It lives alongside clear ponds and the bud on its head blooms in warm sunlight."

André frowned and said, "I must say, professor, I am... underwhelmed. I was expecting something more intimidating." Kale sweated and rushed to explain himself, "Don't worry! Raise him well and you'll find that he'll grow into a formidable Pokémon! Also, you can give him a name if you'd like." André didn't smile, but he didn't object. "If you say so, professor Kale. You're the expert. Also, I think I will name him. Thorn fits well, considering who I am." He said nothing more on the subject, but quickly returned Thorn to his Pokéball. André stood and gestured for Kale to do the same. He put the remaining Pokéballs and Pokédex into his pocket and said, "Follow me."

They walked into the Roseland home, which was actually a rather large mansion-like compound. They walked the air conditioned hallways lined with fine art, and Kale found himself staring once again at the profiles of various men and women that hung on the walls. He asked André who these men were and he said, "These are past members of the Roseland family. We have our portraits done when we come of adult age. I haven't had mine done yet." They walked in silence a while longer until they came to another sliding door that lead outside. They stepped outside, and there was a golf cart waiting for them. André climbed in the driver's seat and Kale climbed into the passenger's. They drove for a few minutes in familiar silence, until they came to a small building with a fenced off area. Kale recognized the setup of the area, but said nothing. This was the type of land sectioning common to Pokémon researcher labs. They stopped and André began to speak, "These will be your working quarters. No doubt you recognize what kind of facility this is, and I'll have you know I've already had it linked to my box in Pokémon Storage, and it has been well equipped. If you find anything unsatisfactory, fill out a requisition form and submit it to our groundskeeper. He'll take care of it. Your sleeping quarters can be found in the first hall of the guest wing back up at the main building."

Kale realized what André was saying and asked, "So, I got the job." André nodded and said, "You start to tomorrow. You job will be to provide me field support and advice from here, and to care for any Pokémon I send back. I set out tomorrow as well."


End file.
